Covid19
Conditions
Keywords
WhatsApp, Misinformation, Rumours, India, Experience Sampling
Brief summary
Digital misinformation has been flagged as a major risk of the 21st century, with an estimated cost of $78 billion to the global economy each year. Given this scope, we propose to characterize how misinformation is spread via messenger platforms (e.g. WhatsApp). Specifically, we seek to: 1. Identify metrics of potential misinformation (Aim 1). This is based on the hypothesis that although message contents are highly private, proxy markers can be used to identify potential misinformation. 2. Understand the base-rate by which misinformation is shared via messaging applications (Aim 2). This is founded on the hypothesis that misinformation is endemic on messaging platforms, and thus needs to be documented. 3. Identify super spreaders responsible for sending and receiving a large volume of misinformation (Aim 3). Here, we hypothesise that a small group of super spreaders are responsible for the bulk of misinformation-sharing on messaging applications. The thrust of this work aligns with both government priorities and the grant's thematic areas, providing actionable findings that are timely amidst a worldwide surge of misinformation.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Yale-NUS College
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Lived in India for more than 2 years, * Currently Living in India * Owns a WhatsApp account
Exclusion criteria
* Not currently living in India * Below the ages of 21 * Has not lived in India for more than 2 years * does not own a WhatsApp account * Does not speak English or Hindi
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp Usage | 1 week, starting from date after baseline survey completion | Participants were asked a series of questions daily related to their WhatsApp usage behaviors - in particular, their message-forwarding, personal chat and group chat behaviors. |
| Changes in fear with regards the COVID-19 situation across 1 week | 1 week, starting from date after baseline survey completion | 1 item each day on fear specifically of the COVID-19 situation (measured on a 4 point scale: min = 1, max = 4; higher scores indicating greater fear about the outbreak). |
| Changes in amount of thinking about the COVID-19 situation across 1 week | 1 week, starting from date after baseline survey completion | 1 item each day on how much they thought about the outbreak that day (measured on a 5 point scale: min = 1, max = 5; higher scores indicating more thinking about the outbreak). |
Countries
Singapore
Contacts
Primary ContactJean Liu, PhD
Outcome results
None listed